| Port Isabel Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part of Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Built | 1958 |
| In use | 1958-1961 |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Garrison | 811th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
Port Isabel Air Force Station (ADC ID: TM-190) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 18.7 miles (30.1 km) north-northeast of Brownsville, Texas. It was closed in 1961.
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Port Isabel Air Force Station came into existence as part of Phase III of the Air Defense Command Mobile Radar program. On October 20, 1953 ADC requested a third phase of twenty-five radar sites be constructed.
The 811th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was moved to the former Port Isabel Auxiliary Naval Air Station on 1 January 1958. It operated an AN/FPS-3A search radar and an AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar at the site, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.
The Air Force inactivated Port Isabel AFS on 1 June 1961 due to budgetary constraints. Today the site is part of the Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.